Shea-Porter backing new gun control measures

MANCHESTER — U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter will push for Congress to enact new gun control measures in the coming year, including a ban on “high capacity” magazines for firearms.

The New Hampshire Democrat said Monday she is “determined” to help bring a vote in the U.S. House on legislation that would ban high capacity clips.

Lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are poised to take up new gun control measures, following on the heels of a devastating mass shooting in Connecticut.

Carnage at a suburban elementary school there has sparked nationwide calls for new firearms restrictions, as well as backlash from the National Rifle Association and other gun rights advocates.

Shea-Porter discussed the pending gun control debate Monday during a wide-ranging interview at her district office in Manchester. She also touched on the unresolved deadlock in Congress over the country's debt and spending, as well her desire to work on campaign finance reform during the next two years.

Shea-Porter won re-election in November, defeating Republican Frank Guinta to recapture the 1st Congressional District seat.

A Rochester native, Shea-Porter previously served two terms in Congress before losing her seat to Guinta in 2010.

In some respects, Shea-Porter's previous experience in Congress will give her a head start as she returns to the position this month.

Shea-Porter was sworn into office on Jan. 3. She has been reappointed to the House Armed Services and Natural Resources committees, on which she previously served. The move allows her to maintain her seniority, and the political clout that comes with it.

Shea-Porter has outfitted her Manchester office with some veteran staffers, as well as former state Sen. Jackie Cilley.

The Barrington Democrat, who challenged Gov. Maggie Hassan during last year's primary election, is serving as Shea-Porter's congressional district director.

In the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, President Barack Obama called on Vice President Joe Biden to develop a list of new measures aimed at stemming gun violence.

Discussing the looming debate, Shea-Porter emphasized that she believes in second amendment gun ownership rights. Firearms fill an “appropriate role” in the country, Shea-Porter said — especially in New Hampshire, where some people hunt recreationally, but others do it out of necessity.

“I think all of us who have grown up in New Hampshire understand that this is a culture,” Shea-Porter said, “and it's fine. The problem comes when you have these high capacity magazines that go way beyond sport or individual protection.”

Shea-Porter said she believes magazine capacity should be capped in the range of 10 bullets, though she is open to compromise on the issue.

Shea-Porter said she would also be open to reinstituting a ban on so-called “assault weapons,” generally understood to mean semi-automatic rifles that meet certain criteria.

Many semi-automatic rifles were previously banned for sale to civilians in the United States under a ban that was enacted in 1994, which has since lapsed.

Discussing other facets of gun control, Shea-Porter said she would also be interested in Congress exploring expanded gun registrations, as well as more stringent background checks to ensure gun owners don't have a background of criminality or mental illness.

“We want to be able to have the freedom to carry a gun ... but we also want to make sure that we keep them out of the hands of people who should not have them,” Shea-Porter said.

Gun control has been at the forefront of the policy debate in Washington in recent weeks, though unresolved fiscal issues could take center stage again by mid-February.

Congress is facing a deadline then to vote on whether to increase the country's $16.4-trillion debt limit. The move would give the U.S. Treasury the authority to continue paying down the debts the country has already incurred, avoiding a potential default on loans.

After kicking the can down the road at the close of 2012, lawmakers must also resume the debate over the steep budget sequestration cuts set to begin taking effect this year.

Shea-Porter said she's determined to work cooperatively to reduce the country's debt and deficit. However, she said Republicans need to come to the table with a willingness to raise some new revenues — something that hasn't happened yet.

Shea-Porter said she is open to reforming Medicare, Social Security and other safety net programs, but emphasized that she will not accept a deal that changes any existing benefits.

“I don't think the middle class should have to pay for the mistakes and for the spending that others did,” she said.

Discussing Medicare reforms she would be open to, Shea-Porter pointed out that negotiating the price of prescription drugs with manufacturers could save the government an estimated $200 billion over 10 years. Shea-Porter said she also wants to increase emphasis on reimbursement for medical treatment based on outcomes.

Shea-Porter said she would not be open to raising the retirement age for benefits, one of the elements of plans laid out by Republicans.

“The burden of doing this should not fall on the middle class,” she said.

Speaking broadly, Shea-Porter said her top priority in Congress will be job creation. That will entail efforts to create jobs by rebuilding communications and transportation infrastructure and boosting exports, she said.

“The thing about it is there's not one silver bullet,” she said. “There's not one solution to increasing the number of jobs. It's going to be a lot of small steps we can take, and some larger steps.”

Campaign finance reform is another area that will receive Shea-Porter's attention this term.

“Almost everything can be traced at some point to the problem of the way we finance campaigns,” she said, “because what happens is that all these different groups are engaged. They all put money in there, and they have too big a say-so, and people are afraid to take a stance that might not be popular.”

Shea-Porter said she is reviewing draft legislation on the issue. One promising idea is to institute a system of public financing on the federal level, similar to regulations instituted statewide in Maine.

Another measure she hopes to explore is a requirement for corporate shareholders to vote on the spending being done by corporations for political purposes.

“The reason it matters so much is because what happens is that a lot of members of Congress don't stay in their seats on their committees all day,” Shea-Porter said. “They do too much fundraising now. It's really gotten grotesque.”